Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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Quote of the week 

Tuesday, 13 January 2009
‘If the Government truly believed literacy could be improved by dropping book prices, it could simply remove the GST. Everyone happy: authors, publishers, retailers, consumers. Too easy'--Malcolm Knox writing in...

Post-Christmas survey 

Tuesday, 13 January 2009
WBN is currently completing its annual post-Christmas survey, ringing booksellers around the nation to see how the industry fared in the Christmas sale season. We will publish the results in...

Boab Books vandalised 

Tuesday, 13 January 2009
West Australian bookseller Eric Ladhams had a distinctly unmerry Christmas, after vandals broke into his store. Boab Books lost around $50,000 worth of stock when local children pulled the books...

Rights round-up 

Monday, 12 January 2009
In rights news this week: NonfictionHarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to the new Bill Granger book Feed Me Now! to be published in April 2009; Wakefield Press has just signed...

RiP Alan Leutenegger 

Monday, 12 January 2009
Alan Leutenegger, former director of Collins Publishers, passed away on 8 December.

RiP Tony Mott 

Monday, 12 January 2009
Tony Mott, a well known publisher whose career included many years at Penguin, and who founded the Bantam paperback imprint at Transworld in the UK, has died, aged 72. Mott...

RiP Richard Seaver 

Monday, 12 January 2009
Richard Seaver, founder and president of Arcade Publishing in the US, has died, aged 82. ‘Seaver had been instrumental in finding Samuel Beckett a US publisher at Grove Press, where...

Rip John Neuhaus 

Monday, 12 January 2009
Theologian and author Richard John Neuhaus has died. His works include his final book, American Babylon: Notes of a Christian Exile, to be published in the US in March.

Johnstone appointed SWF publicist 

Monday, 12 January 2009
Sydney Writers' Festival (SWF) director Wendy Were has appointed Helen Johnstone as the publicist for the 2009 Festival, replacing Andy Palmer.   Previously a publicist for HarperCollins in Australia and in...

Bestsellers this week 

Monday, 12 January 2009
It comes as no surprise that Stephenie Meyer is still hogging the Bestseller list, this time with New Moon (Little, Brown) as top gun, and four more following, including the...

Forthcoming events 

Monday, 12 January 2009
Trade events coming up this month, as shown on our events calendar, include: Unwin Trust Fellowship applications close - 30 JanApplications close for APA Publishing Internship Program - 30 JanRegistration...

Quote of the week 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
'Mr Carr's claims on price are both misleading and spurious. Comparing the GST-inclusive ARP with a freight-free, heavily discounted, GST-free Amazon price is a gross misrepresentation of the pricing of...

Around the world 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Among the stories recently added to our Around the World blog:Arise, Sir Terry Pratchett!McGraw-Hill restructureBertrams sale expected soonOrbit announces US$1 e-booksFor details on these stories and many more, see http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/blogentries/ .

RiP Ann McDougall 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Amanda Donohoe of the University Co-operative Bookshop writes: 'It is with great sadness we advise Ann McDougall, branch manager of our University of Sunshine Coast store, suddenly passed away on...

In brief 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Redundancies at New Holland UKNew Holland has announced seven redundancies in its UK office. ‘We were already having a difficult year, due to the absence of a fully staffed rights...

Scott founds new educational publisher 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Former publisher at Eleanor Curtain Publishing, Jo Scott, has founded a new Victorian-based educational publishing house. Jo Scott Publishing will be a development company, with all material to be distributed...

Stanner Award to UQP title 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Gunyah, Goondie & Wurley: the Aboriginal Architecture of Australia (Paul Memmott, UQP) is the recipient of the 2008 Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies' (AIATSIS) Stanner Award....

Human Rights award for Scribe title 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Human Rights Overboard: Seeking Asylum in Australia authors Linda Briskman, Susie Latham and Chris Goddard have been awarded the Literature Nonfiction Award as part of the 2008 Human Rights Medal...

Lindfield Bookshops to unveil new combined premises 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Next Monday 12 January Lindfield Bookshop and Lindfield Children's Bookshop will open in a new combined store on the Pacific Highway in Lindfield, NSW. Lindfield Bookshop owner Scott Whitmont told...

Vale Dorothy Porter 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Award-winning author Dorothy Porter died on 10 December 2008, aged 54. The Australian Society of Authors writes:‘The Australian Society of Authors expresse[s] its sadness at the death of member Dorothy...

RiP Donald E Westlake 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Mystery writer Donald E Westlake, the author of more than 100 novels, died on New Year's Eve, aged 75.

RiP Harold Pinter 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Playwright and Nobel laureate Harold Pinter, described by the New York Times as ‘the most influential and imitated dramatist of his generation', died on Christmas Eve, aged 78.

RiP Samuel Huntington 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Samuel Huntington, author of Clash of Civilisations died on Christmas Eve, aged 81.

Goldberg appointed Lonely Planet CEO 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Lonely Planet has announced the appointment of Matthew Goldberg as its new CEO. Goldberg, previously senior vice-president, digital strategy and operations at Dow Jones in New York, will report to...

HarperCollins to publish ABC Books 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009
ABC Books and HarperCollins have announced a ?new commercial partnership' that will see HarperCollins taking on responsibility for the publishing and distribution of ABC Books titles. ?From the moment we...